Cat dominating the other

This is a place to gain some understanding of cat behavior and to assist people in training their cats and dealing with common behavior problems, regardless of the method(s) used. Keep in mind that you may be receiving advice from other cat owners and lovers...not professionals. If you have a major problem, always seek the advice of a trainer or behaviorist!

Member Since 11/14/2012

Purred: Wed Nov 14, '12 6:06pm PST

I have two cats. One is generally friendly, we call her Jezebel, the other runs from anyone that starts to come her way, we call this one Zoey. We've had Zoey for maybe 7 years and Jezebel for around 5. The cats usually tolerate each other, having brawls every now and then. But when we get their hair shaved because of a hairball problem, Jezebel refuses to let Zoey upstairs. Whenever Zoey does attempt to come up, she's constantly looking around for Jezebel and when Jezebel does come along it's a fighting and hissing match until Zoey is forced to go back into the basement, help please. I need to get Zoey back upstairs.

This happened to our kitties as well when we had one shaved. The one shaved is typically the one that dominates the others but the roles were reversed. We ended up feeding the cats on either side of a door. They love food and this way forced them to be near each other with a barrier. Once that was okay, we then introduced a baby gate where they could see each other but didn't have access to attack. They would hiss some but after a few days things improved. Good luck!

I just finished reading a book called Cat VS Cat that has some really good insights as to how to maintain a household of more than one feline. The advice was easy to understand and she explains why they do what they do. I would very much suggest reading that, I'm sure your local library can order it in. I got mine at Petsmart and I'm sure any local book store would be able to order if it if you wanted a copy of your own!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/72818.Cat_vs_Cat

I haven't read her first book "Think Like A Cat" but I am definitely going to order it in!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13484.Think_Like_a_Cat

She recommends using Feliway a lot in her book and explains how and when to use it for the best results.